C-Suite: Tony Gruebl wants to change the way project management is done

Think Systems believes change at a company can only be successful if it aligns with the organization's culture.

It's the secret to success at the business management consulting firm in Baltimore, and a tried and true approach for the company, said Tony Gruebl, president of Think.

Gruebl and his partners, Jeff Welch and Bryan Wolbert, are so confident in the power of creating solutions that compliment a company's culture, they've published a book on the subject. They feel it has the power to change not only the way their own clients' approach operations, but also provide an opportunity for the national professional association of project management to adopt new practices.

The Project Management Institute, or PMI, follows processes that Gruebl says are outdated because they don't acknowledge the unique differences in each company's culture.

"Over our 15 years, and more than 100 clients, we’ve learned that each one had unique challenges and personalities and putting them all into box A, B, or C just doesn’t work," Gruebl said. "If you’re in alignment with a company’s culture, change happens naturally, and effectiveness can be sustained and often improved."

Think has created new ways to approach challenges such as bringing in experienced advisors, hiring new employees and solving operational or project management problems.

The Baltimore Business Journal caught up with Gruebl to talk about some of those new approaches.

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How do you use Think's "culture-first" approach when it comes to recruiting? HR departments are continually inundated with stacks of inappropriate resumes that are ultimately no help at all. Think has rejected that model. It’s not about filling a position. It’s about matching the right person with the perfect opportunity, in the right environment. Our customers typically don’t just hire us for recruiting and we offer them the same high level of service that we provide on our consulting teams. To do that, you have to really understand a company’s culture and know the type of person who will be able to thrive. That’s what makes Think special. We’re like a small batch distillery and everything we do is by hand and special for our clients. When our client gets a professional from us, each one has been reviewed and groomed for the available opportunity. Only then can you curate a terrific lineup of candidates.

How does Think's executive advisory practice work? For many mid-market companies, what's sometimes needed is a steady, experienced hand to help take them to the next level. But these companies typically can’t afford to hire or attract the kind of analytical, experienced executive necessary. So we created an executive advisory practice, featuring some truly outstanding former CIOs, CTOs and senior leadership executives who can work with companies on a fractional basis. The company gets the support, knowledge, guidance, and experience and insight they need, but structured in a way that is compatible with the business' size and model. Then, once they have made that quantum leap, they can attract a high-quality C-suite candidate to help maintain success. We bridge the gap.

What's next for Think? We will continue to build on the Think Effectiveness Assessment Model — called TEAM for short — which we are already applying as a core framework in our growing executive advisory and PMO [project management office] consulting practices. It is fundamental to how we’ve evolved over 15-years and now our job is to formalize it, practice it, communicate it and put it to good use for our customers. And with each client, the model gets stronger! Later this month, we will release a white paper that pulls the covers off of the TEAM approach. That white paper, in combination with user stories, and our new book later this year, will form the basis of a communications strategy that we’ve developed with our Baltimore-based agency partner Vitamin LLC.

What advice would you give young professionals in your industry? Don’t let others define your role or adhere to the same old way of operating. Do you want to grow into an outstanding operating executive, a real operator in a company? The only way to do that is to unshackle yourself and develop skills that PMI isn’t teaching young project managers. I like to call it “taking the red pill.” Being a great project manager means operating in a diverse and powerful role in many organizations — as long as you’re free from the constraints of low expectations and having to adhere to processes to the point of absurdity.

Tony Gruebl

Title: President

Company: Think Systems Inc.

Age: 50

Fun fact: Tony has a passion for riding motorcycles, something he picked up about six years ago. "That’s when I tricked my wife into going along with the purchase of my first bike, a Victory Vegas," Gruebl said. "Then I tricked my business partner, Jeff Welch, into riding to Key West with me. Spring and fall are great times to ride in Maryland, especially in the counties. Since I now keep a motorcycle at my son’s house in Florida, you can imagine where I try to go to unwind."